A Researcher Studies Community-Level Arson Rates in Relation to Economic

Multiple Choice

A researcher studies community-level arson rates in relation to economic indicators such as household income, poverty, and unemployment. The researcher finds that communities with higher arson rates have higher poverty and unemployment rates and lower household income. The researcher concluded that unemployed people are more likely to commit arson than are those who are employed. What error was just committed?

A) the ecological fallacy
B) reductionism
C) using the wrong time dimension
D) an internal validity threat